Of Snowshoes and Tarot Cards
by merciki
Summary: A collection of small things written for the LJ communiversary.


**AN: This is a collection of fictions written for LJ.**

**Warning: This hasn't been beta-ed. All mistakes are mine. I therefore apologize for the bad English and mistakes. English is not my mother tongue so I hope you'll forgive me.**

**And well... I own nothing of IPS, but the DVDs.  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Prompt : MaryMarshall; snowshoes**

"Why do we have to do this? we could just, I don't know, not come in the office for a day, it will do too!" Mary had been pouting and sighing since they entered the Coronado Mall one hour ago.

"Although I do not deny the fact that leaving Stan alone in the office for one day would be fine for him, it is nevertheless customary to bring our friend a present for his birthday. So, stop pouting, and help me. The sooner we're out of here, the sooner we will be eating pie at Helen's. So ..." Marshall opened the door of one of the shops, inviting Mary to come in.

"And what precisely do you think we'll find for Stan here, Doofus? Snowshoes?"  
>"Actually, Mare, you don't find snowshoes in Foot Locker, rather sports equipment. And I thought this could do. What do you think?". Marshall was showing his partner an Isotope T-shirt. Mary pouted. "Tell you, Shopaholic, I'd rather go for snowshoes..."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Prompt: Mary, Marshall, Stan bar fight. But Stan Marshall started it I swear.<strong>

Stan picked up his phone and looked at the caller's name. He lifted his eyebrows, and wondered what the hell Det. Abigail Chaffee would want at 11 p.m on a Friday night, when Marshall had no assignment.  
>"Yes, Detective, can I help you?"<br>The now familiar perky voice answered him, a subtle hint of irritation coloring it.  
>"Actually, yes, you can. Both your inspectors are at APD. They need a lift."<br>"What happened?" Stan was sure his sigh could be heard as far as the Sandia mountains.  
>"Something about a bar fight, Chief." Abby couldn't hide the despise carried by her words.<p>

Half an hour later, Stan was looking at both his inspectors, seated each on a corner of his back seat, looking through their windows, completely ignoring the other. For the tenth time of the evening, he sighed, and asked the question he didn't want to ask.  
>"Mary, what did you do this time ?"<br>"Why does it always have to be me? " the blond woman didn't even turn her head from the buildings she was pretending to stare at.  
>"Mary, usually, you're the one that ..." Stan did not get the chance to finish his sentence, he was cut by Mary's answer.<br>"But Stan, Marshall started it, I swear!" Mary was shouting now, grabbing the front seat, and leaning clother to her boss and friend. "He drank my Nobleza. I had paid for it, and he drank my glass. Can you believe it ? MY tequila!"  
>"I picked the wrong glass, you didn't have to make such a fuss about it, Miss Scrooge. And I offered to pay it back!" Marshall was at least talking to her, now, and they were both arguing, inches apart, voices louder and louder. Stan decided to bring the calm back, if he could.<br>"And one glass of tequila drunk by mistake lead to $2,500 of repairs in a bar?" Stan tried his best unhappy tone.  
>"We kind of, hum, overreacted" added Marshall. Stan nodded his approval, happy that they finally came to the same conclusion.<br>"But that was so worth it", smirked the lanky man, only to have his partner add "we should definitely go back there soon."

Children, I work with children ... sighed Stan for the upmost time of the evening..

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Prompt:<strong> Mary, Marshall, tarot cards, "Have you ever considered _?"**

It was the moment he had been waiting for for a long time, now. He breathed, to calm his racing pulse. If he wanted to achieve this, to make it so good, he needed to calm down and take his time.  
>Marshall took one last deep breath, the tarot card in his right hand, and carefully, slowly, so slowly moved to put the last card on the top of the castle he was building.<p>

The ring of his phone filled the silence, the vibration of it made him miss his move, resulting in the castle to fall completely apart. Two hours of work completely lost. For a phone call. He sighed and looked at the name on the screen. Of course.  
>"Yes Mare, what's going on?"<br>"Have you ever considered killing one of our witnesses? Jack Dippers did it again." His partner's tone was everything but calm and joyful. Troubles foreseen.  
>Marshall rose, took his keys and badge, and head out of the room, never looking back at the tarot cards on the table.<br>He would have plenty of time to start all over again.

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Prompt:<strong> Stan; rubber ducky, big toe**

Stan McQueen was finally at home. The day had been long for every Marshal in the office. Mary and Marshall had to deal with one of their witness, Sandy Fullon, a young woman who had the unique characteristic to bring the worst out of Mary in less than ten minutes; then, Sean and Delia had to relocated one of theirs, who accidentally met one of his acquaintances at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science; and finally, he had to go through a three-hours meeting with Allison about the amount of office supplies that, according to her "was now higher than all of New-York's buildings together."

So, yes, Stan now enjoyed a glass of Cardhu, sitting in his favorite armchair, and listening to Charlie Parker , at least relaxing.

I should have known this wouldn't last forever.

His Blackberry rang. Marshall. Sighing, he grabbed the evil engine, and answered. Duty always came first.  
>"Stan."<br>"Stan, Marshall, here. We might have, hum... a situation." His senior inspector voice was concerned,and Stan was instantly completely focused on what would come next.  
>"What kind of situation? What happened? Who is involved?" Stan was already going into USMS mode, revieiwing the cases they currently had at hand.<br>"Well, let's say we could use a friendly hand here around. We kind of ..." Stan closed his eyes. he just understood this had nothing to do with work. He could here Mary's voice behind Marshall. "Hand me the phone, numbnuts. Stan? Mary. Stop cuddling your rubber ducky with your big toe and come to pick us up. Doofus here thought it would be funny to play. Unless he played heads or tails with his car keys. Yes Marshall, you did, and it's all your fault we're stuck in this fucking parking lot because you dropped the keys in the sewer mouth. So, Stan, can you come and pick us? Please ?"

Stan could tell the last word was the most difficult to tell for Mary. But he noted the address... and all knew he would come to pick them up.

Only thing was, his two teenagers would have to wait until Charlie Parker finished playing, because, you can't stop a CD from Parker, can you?  
>He relaxed, and put his phone on silence mode.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Prompt:<strong> Mary/Marshall, "I'm still trying to erase the image of you in a nightgown"**

Night was falling on Albuquerque, and the sun was lingering on the last floor of the Sunshine Building, his last rays illuminating two desks, still occupied, of US Marshals Marshall Mann and Mary Shannon.

Mary was finishing to complete a threat assignement for one of her witnesses, and Marshall reviewing a file for the uptenth time, for the next transfer they would have to make, in two days, trying to look at every point that could lead to a threat for the witness. He knew that with Mary, they had covered every aspect of the transfer, but they both knew they couldn't help looking at it over and over again.

One hour later, Marshall finally closed the file, shut off his computer, and started to grab his coat to head out of the office. He stopped at Mary's desk,looking at her filling papers, which was awkward, as she litterally hated filling whatever forms came close to her. And she had her part of papers when she has been stuck on dest duty during the last months of her pregnancy.

"Mare, stop working. Come on, let's go out and have fun. I have something for tonight." Marshall was hugely smiling, just thinking at what he had planned for the evening. Mary looked at her partner over her computer screen, then shaked her head in dismiss.

"Whatever you have planned for tonight, it doesn't involve me coming with you. I already went through too much of these in the last ten years. And you won't be dragging me to another one." Mary perfectly knew what Marshall had in mind, and wouldn't comply this year.

"Come on, Mare, this is going to be fun. I picked something for you, already. And, Sunshine, you seem to forget who brought you to work today, as your last car was a bit reluctant to start this morning.. So, unless you're willing to pay for a cab, and actually find one... I'm the one driving."

Mary knew she was cornered, as she had no other solution to go home this night, and finding a cab would be a hell of a fight. She sighed, so loudly Marshall would swear he felt the walls moving, then took her leather jacket and her bag and followed her partner in the elevator.

"And what exactly did you plan for tonight, numbnuts? Treat or trick?" She didn't want to spend the night wandering in the streets to pick candies.

"You'll see, Mare, you'll see" was the only answer she could get out of him for the time of their journey. At Marshall's place, she saw two large garment bags hanging from the coat knew costumes were inside, and she would have to dress, and somewhere a part of her was happy to do it, but hell if she was going to show it.

"And what did you get me this year? No way I dress like Princess Leila in front of the big slug, moron." He had once tried to make her wear this outfit, only to find himself restrained by the golden bra of said costume.

"Once bit, twice shy, Mare. No Leia this year, I swear. You will find this one convenient, I think. Shows nothing, and you can hide your gun under." Mary opened the bag, to find a long dark cape and a school uniform, with a badge on it saying " Hogwarts". "This is Hermione Granger's outfit, from Harry Potter. Is it okay?"

Mary nodded her agreement, but couldn't help but look at Marshall's costume for the night. He was smiling when she finished looking and turned back to him, with that look on her face ...  
>"You're not wearing this, Marshall, are you ? No way ! I don't want any more nightmares... I'm still trying to erase the image of you in a nightgown, and you're going to inflict me that !" she said, pointing at the costume.<p>

Her partner's smile only widened.  
>"Precisely. Let's get dressed, children will be coming soon. Happy Halloween, Mare."<p>

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Prompt:<strong> Marshall, 1,000 paper cranes, "This isn't really the best use for _"**

It started as a pass-time, just a hobby. He had seen a documentary on whatever cable channel about origami and kirigami, and it had fascinated him. Folding paper to create a world out of his own.

Marshall sooned purchased books, travelled on-line forums to look for advices, for the best way to fold paper, the meaning of the colors, and he soon fell for it.  
>He remembered his first attempts, which were dreadful, and the pride he felt when he completed his first crane.<p>

He remembered the one he gave Mary, one of his first, actually, the one he just put on her keyboard that day. And he remembered so well two months ago, when he needed a pen and she told him to look in her drawer.

Among other things he preferred not to remember, because even if he knew about these things, he would rather not see them displayed in front of him, and right close to a black pen, he found the crane and other foldings he had given her, carefully stored in a small plastic box.

This day, he decided he would complete his herculean task, and have a go at Sadako Sasaki's story. Maybe if he could fold 1,000 paper cranes, he most desired wish would come true.

And then day after day, he started folding. He nearly abandonned his folding when he reached 632, when she ran to Mexico with crapweasel Faber, but she came back and Faber was out of the picture... He resumed his activity quickly, folded and folded.

And there it was. This night, he was holding a piece of red paper, ready to fold his last crane. All the others were stocked on his tables, counter, he had counted them several times, to be sure they were 1,000.

He had called Mary a few minutes ago, and she promised to come by as soon as possible. He knew he had just the time to fold the last one. But, then he would mean his wish could come true. Or not.

Marshall sighed heavily, and started folding. Two minutes later, he was holding the red crane in the palm of his hand, and thinking, it was time to face the blond hurricane that would pass his doorstep in a few minutes.

The knock on the door signalled him that Mary was there, waiting, maybe giving something to Rocky, the raccoon who was living in his garden, and that now was the time.

He opened the door, signalling Mary to come in, and Rocky to stay outside, and let her in.

She came in, and as soon as she put her gun and badge on the table near the door, she saw all the cranes. A lot of them. Maybe a thousand; scattered every where, on the tables, floor, on the couch. Mary heard the door being closed, and said,  
>" This isn't really the best use for paper, you know, Marshall?"<p>

Marshall was holding his last crane on his palm. He came to her, and offered it.  
>"Maybe, Mare, but it's what I do with them. Now, if you could just sit, there is something I want to tell you about. It's a Japanese story about a little girl and a crane... "<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Here it is ... Hope you liked it ! If you did, please make sure to hit the blue link, just under. Yes, the one marked " review this chapter" !<strong>

**Thank you for reading !**


End file.
